Preparation and Growth Mechanism of Gold Nanorods (NRs) Using Seed-Mediated Growth Method

A method is used for preparing gold NRs with aspect ratios ranging from 1.5 to 10 for which the surface plasmon absorption maxima are between 600 and 1300 nm. This method has been adapted from a previously published seed-mediated growth method (Jana et al. Adv. Mater. 2001, 13, 1389). The disadvantages and limitations of the earlier method (i.e., formation of noncylindrical NRs, φ-shaped particles, and formation of a large fraction of spherical particles) have been overcome by use of a hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-capped seed instead of a citrate-capped one. In a single-component surfactant system, the silver content of the growth solution was used to grow NRs to a desired length. This results in…